Beyond the Spirit Lies Love
by MasterFirebender84
Summary: The War is ten years past, & Aang & Katara are happily married & living at the Southern Air Temple. On their first anniversary as a married couple, Aang takes Katara to the peak of the Temple to show her something that will completely change their lives.


This is it. I never thought I'd make it to this point, but here I am...

My 20th story.

That's right; I have written 20 fanfics for Avatar: The Last Airbender. Let me tell you, it's been a heck of a journey to get to this point, and I would like to personally thank all of those, both anonymous users and FanFiction users alike, who have so faithfully followed and even supported my work. All of those reviews, Favorite Stories, & Story Alerts have brought me great joy over these past few months, and I am proud to be a fan fiction writer for such an awesome show.

So, in honor of my 20th story, here is my newest oneshot that's centered around everyone's favorite couple (not Zuko and Katara, by the way): Aang & Katara. I personally enjoyed writing every minute of this soulful oneshot, and I think it's one of my best oneshots thus far. Without further aideu, let us embark on this spiritual quest, and please be sure to review. Avatar forever! :D

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it.

**Beyond the Spirit Lies Love**

"Aang, where are you taking me?" giggled Katara as her husband, who was holding her hand, quickly guided her up the winding stairs. She was dressed in the attire of her people, a flowing blue robe embroidered with images of the ocean and moon. On her neck sat her usual betrothal necklace, the same that her own mother had worn so long ago.

Without breaking his stride, Aang looked back and cheerfully replied with a wistful wink, "You'll find out once we get there, Ocean Girl." Katara merely chuckled as she blushed, which is what she did every time he would call her one of those sweet, lovey-dovey nicknames. There were dozens of other nicknames that elicited this reaction from her, but Aang had no time to use them all now, despite the fact that he always loved to see that affectionate smile blossom on her face every time he did so.

The Avatar was dressed in his Master Airbender robes, his wooden Airbending medallion hanging from his proud neck. Aang had grown much since the end of The War over ten years ago, as had Katara. Both of them had grown immensely, Aang in his power and fortitude and Katara in her beauty and grace. No longer was he the scraggly, silly lad who was always looking to goof off. Granted, he still loved to have fun with the people he loved, but his sense of maturity had grown with him over the past decade. He was now the man he was meant to be: powerful, commanding, mighty and yet just, wise, kind-hearted, and, of course, always humorous.

Katara was much in the same way; no longer a young and naïve girl of fourteen, but now an elegant, stunning, and exquisite young lady of twenty-four. She still had her kind and motherly demeanor, but the spirit of a brave and cunning Master Waterbender always hid behind those starling sapphire eyes. She was compassionate yet fearsome, merciful yet unrelenting, and sympathetic yet authoritative. She was like the sea itself; gentle and comforting waves in one moment and a raging maelstrom the next.

Soon the Avatar and his beloved wife came out to a balcony, leaving them breathless at the sight of the mighty Patola mountains around their home, the Southern Air Temple. Looking around, Katara noticed that this balcony was the end of the path that they could traverse. "Is this where you wanted to take me?" she asked as she looked back at her husband, who was smiling at the open air before them.

Aang looked at Katara as he cheerfully said, "Nope."

"Then where do we go from here, Wise Guy?" chuckled Katara as she lovingly squeezed his hand, letting him know that she was only joking. Of course, Aang could tell she was joking from the tone in her voice, but they still loved this playful interaction between the two of them.

Aang mischievously smirked as he looked up, his gaze falling upon the central spire of the Temple. Katara followed his gaze, seeing the top plateau of the Temple almost a hundred and fifty feet above them. They were already several hundred feet above the ground, but the extra height of the upper plateau made Katara's head feel dizzy. Her eyes went wide as she looked back at her husband, who had also turned his gaze back to her. She nervously gulped and stammered, "Y-You can't be serious? All the way up there?"

"Of course," cheerily chirped Aang, eliciting a disappointed groan from Katara. "Why are you acting so surprised? You're never scared when you're flying on Appa."

"That's because flying on Appa is enjoyable," huffed Katara, pouting her lips just enough that Aang cheerily chuckled. "At least when I fall off of Appa I know that I'm going to be caught before I hit the ground." Gesturing to the top of the Temple, she added, "It's a lot more dangerous falling off the top of the Temple than it is falling off of Appa."

"True," admitted Aang, "but you'll have a Master Airbender at your service should you fall off." He slyly winked at her, causing her to merrily smile as a pinkish blush took hold of her cheeks. He gently squeezed her hand and softly said, "I promise that nothing bad will happen to you while I'm around."

"I know," Katara warmly responded, an amorous smile taking hold of her lips as she lightly squeezed his hand in return. She remembered the promise he had made during his wedding vow just a year ago…

_Katara, my one and only true love, I vow to forever hold you in my heart, being true and faithful to the sacred bond that has been born between us. I promise that I will treasure each and every day that we spend together for the rest of our lives, for you are what makes life worthwhile. I promise that I will help you in any way that I can when we raise our children in the same love and care that we both have been brought up in. I promise to always provide for you, making sure that you are always happy and smiling. I promise to always be the wind beneath your angelic wings, taking you up higher and higher into the heavens of our endless love._

"Are you ready?" asked Aang, his eyes shining with countless emotions that Katara found herself lost in.

"Always," replied Katara with affectionate certainty, spinning herself around and wrapping Aang's arm around her waist. Once she was secure in his grasp, Aang slightly bent his legs down. He quickly shot his legs upwards, shooting them both up on a powerful blast of air. Katara could feel a bit of panic enter her heart, but a loving kiss from Aang on the back of her head immediately calmed her down.

The two of them alighted on the plateau, landing in the dead-center of the platform. Katara unwrapped herself from her husband's arms, her fingers still interlaced with his. The two kneeled down in front of each other, allowing their kneecaps to touch and both of their hands to become intertwined with one another. Husband and wife remained still for a while, simply enjoying their physical proximity.

"So," Katara said after their long silence, "what is it that you wanted to do for our anniversary?" She remembered how, earlier that morning, Aang had told her that he wanted to show them something special for their first anniversary as a married couple. She was excited and nervous about the surprise, but she knew she wouldn't be disappointed by her husband's gift. After all, this was her Aang, and her Aang always had something wonderful hidden up his sleeves.

"It's actually something I learned from Avatar Roku," explained Aang, using his thumbs to soothingly stroke the back of Katara's hands.

"Oh?" asked Katara with a raised eyebrow, somewhat perplexed by his response. "Go on."

"Well," Aang began, "it's kind of hard to explain, but I'll do the best I can."

"Like you always do," lovingly said Katara as she nuzzled her nose against Aang's, eliciting a hearty chuckle from the Avatar.

"Anyways," lightly chuckled Aang as Katara leaned back, "what I'm showing you today is not really something physical, but it's something that's very real."

"What is it?"

"My inner spirit," cheerily replied Aang, giving her his signature smile.

"Huh?" confusedly asked Katara as she blinked, looking at Aang as if he were slightly crazy.

"I was talking to Roku about a month ago, asking him about an idea that I could use to celebrate our anniversary."

"You had to talk to your own past life just to figure that sort of thing out?" jokingly asked Katara, a playful look in her eyes. "You could have sent a message to Sokka back home. I'm sure he would have been happy to help."

Aang shook his head. "I couldn't possibly do that. Roku has been my Avatar Guide for as long as I can remember, and I value his judgment on this kind of matter. Roku had his own wife, so I figured that he would be my best bet for anniversary ideas." Katara softly smiled at him, taking his words to heart. "Besides," Aang chuckled, "do you really think it would be safe for me to ask for advice from your brother?"

"Probably not," agreed Katara, joining her husband in their bout of merry laughter. "You were saying?" she asked as they stopped laughing.

"Roku told me of something that an Avatar can do with their spouse on their first wedding anniversary. It's something that is extremely personal and is the ultimate form of intimacy."

"Even more intimate than what we did last night?" shyly asked Katara, her pinkish blush conquering her cheeks once more. Aang fondly smiled as his cheeks similarly flushed; he knew that she was referring to their love-making the night before. They had always made love whenever they could, for they were always spending most of their time together alone in the Temple. Each and every time they had made love was even more special than the last, a certain kind of bonding that only seemed to grow with each occurrence.

"Even more so," affirmed Aang, still remembering the wonderful night they had shared before this day. "This is something that only an Avatar can do with their spouse, and it's something that will strengthen our love beyond all imagining. We're going to travel to my inner spirit, the human soul that lies beyond the Avatar Spirit. Roku told me that the human soul of an Avatar is comprised of different universes, each holding a different kind of emotion. Each of these emotions is called a Universe, and the one we're going to visit is the Universe of Love."

"Sounds like the name of a cheesy romance spa," joked Katara, chuckling at the name of their destination. When she saw that Aang wasn't joking, she cleared her throat. "Sorry," she timidly murmured, nervously smiling at her dear husband.

"Don't be," assured Aang as he kissed her lips, eliciting a pleasurable moan from her throat. Soon he broke the contact, leaving his wife to smile and blush even harder at him. His face suddenly became serious, his eyes hardening with an emotion that Katara didn't recognize. "Do you trust me?" he firmly asked, all playfulness and joking gone from his voice.

Katara was a bit taken aback by his question, surprise spreading itself across her face. Why would he ask a question that he obviously knew the answer to? "Aang-"

"Do you trust me?" he repeated just as firmly, emphasizing each and every word. "What we're about to do isn't something that should be taken lightly, Katara. I've been inside my inner spirit already, but that was by myself; I haven't done this kind of thing with you. I need your absolute trust on this matter, otherwise we might as well stop here. So do you trust me?" Katara was a bit stunned by the boldness in his words, just as she always was surprised when she saw the powerful and commanding side of Aang emerge.

After a long silence, Katara nodded. "I trust you with all my heart," she strongly replied, putting as much of herself into her words as she could.

Aang's expression softened at her words, his cheery smile returning to his face. "Good. Now what I need you to do is just to relax and close your eyes; I'll be the one handling the transfer of our spirits into my body." Seeing the hesitant look in Katara's eyes, he added, "Everything will be fine, Katara. When we get there, you're going to see things that are going to blow your mind away." Katara hesitated for a bit longer, but in the end she nodded and closed her eyes.

Aang closed his eyes as well, readying himself to harness the power of his Avatar Spirit. Having found it deep within his being, he unlocked the hidden power. All at once, he felt the energy of the cosmos pouring into his body, fully intensifying his spiritual connection as his tattoos began to glow.

Through his handhold with Katara, his energy pathways found a way over into her being. He could feel her own spirit panic and seek to drive away the intruder, but Aang silently soothed her frightful soul. She slowly lowered her defenses, allowing her soul mate access to her human spirit. He found her spirit deep within her being, and he gently touched it with his own energy.

Their world instantly flashed before their sealed eyes, their souls feeling like they were being stretched to their utter limit. Katara felt herself tremble in fear as this all happened, her grip on Aang tightening with every passing second. _Don't be afraid,_ she heard Aang calmly say in her mind. _I will never let you fall._ She found herself slightly relaxing at his words, though her ever-present fear kept her eyes screwed tightly shut.

As they traveled, there was a great roaring sound in their ears, drowning out all else as their closed eyes were constantly barraged with flashing lights. Soon the roaring stop, as did the numerous flashing lights. Aang opened his eyes and looked around. He smiled to himself when he saw that they had safely reached their destination. Since they were still kneeling, Aang helped both of them get to their feet. "Katara," he gently beckoned, softly squeezing her hands as they rose to their feet. "We're here."

Katara slowly peeked one eye open, which nervously glanced at their surroundings. Both of her eyes immediately opened and widened and her mouth dropped open in an astonished gasp at what she was seeing…

Stars.

Dozens and dozens of stars.

Hundreds, thousands, endless _millions_ of dazzling stars.

No matter where Katara looked, whether it be above or below or off to the sides, there were always stars to fill her view. A swirling nebula danced among the stars, shining the most brilliant and unusual shade of blue, as if the very essence of the sea was flowing in the soulful cosmos around them.

Within the cerulean nebula were countless other shades of vibrant color, ranging from vivacious red to emerald green and even lustrous purple and pulsating yellow. Every shade of color imaginable, and even those beyond the confines of imagination, were all around them, mixing in with the dominant blue of the nebula.

As each star floated past the couple, Katara could see a memory locked within the celestial orbs. The memories were too numerous to recall all at once, but Katara always recognized them because she was always in them. No matter which memory she was viewing, her face was always present. She could see herself smiling, laughing, hugging, holding hands, blushing, rejoicing, kissing, celebrating, and loving in each memory she came across, and she realized that all of these stars were Aang's memories of all the romantic moments that they had spent together since the end of The War.

Tender, loving words caressed her ears, all of them having the same voice: Aang's voice. Each ghostly word that passed over her was like a renewing wave, reminding her of all those special and sacred moments in which it was just her and Aang, when nothing else mattered except for their boundless love.

Glittering comets streaked all around them, illuminating the couple as Katara continued to look on in absolute awe at the surreal spectacle around them. Aang lovingly smiled at the unbridled joy on his wife's face as she happily looked over it all, her eyes sparkling with amazement at each new strange and wonderful thing. He had been the same way when he had first encountered this place within himself; absolutely stunned and blown away by the grand scope of it all.

But not even this spiritual place could truly capture the true magnitude of his love for Katara, for it was as endless as the passing of Time.

Katara was too stunned for words, finding it hard to describe what was happening around them in mere words. She felt a fire spring up inside of her, a lively flame that nourished her being and made her feel as if she were reborn. Everything she saw was a constant reminder of Aang's love for her, and she was truly surprised by it all. The vast scale of this emotion that Aang had was beyond all comprehension; how could one man hold _this much_ _love_ inside of his soul?

Finally finding her words, Katara looked at Aang and joyfully asked, "All of _this_ is for me?" Aang's smile widened at the jubilant expression on Katara's face, his eyes sparkling with the purest of love and pride.

"All of this and even more," lovingly replied Aang, sincerity imbued in his gentle voice. Katara's surprise redoubled, but soon a sense of hesitance came over her being. She sadly glanced down, her smile falling from her face. Aang saw this and instantly became worried; why would she be sad? "What's wrong?" he softly asked as he squeezed her hands. "Don't you like this?"

Katara quickly looked up, seeing the concern in Aang's troubled eyes. "Of course I do," she truthfully replied. A smile came to life on her face as she excitedly said, "This is the most spectacular and amazing thing I've ever seen in my entire life! I love it!" Her excitement quickly faded away as doubt took hold, and her smile died with her excitement. "It's all just…so overwhelming."

"Overwhelming?"

Katara nodded. "I know that I love you with all my heart, but…" Gesturing to the cosmos around them, she added, "I had no idea that you loved me this much, that you would have an _entire Universe_ in your soul dedicated to your love for me." Katara tiredly sighed, her heart heavy with a sense of guilt. "It's just…for all my life I've seen myself as just a regular girl from the Southern Water Tribe. Even after we saved the world, even after I became a Master Waterbender, I didn't let all that fame go to my head; I still felt like the same girl on the inside."

"To tell the truth," reluctantly admitted Katara, "I don't know if I'm even worthy enough of this kind of love that you have for me." She closed her eyes and shamefully held her head down, leaving her husband to worriedly stare at her. He knew that Katara did appreciate what he was doing now, but it seemed to him that the magnificent scale of his love overwhelmed her and, in a sense, humbled her to the point of self-doubt. He smiled, for he knew deep inside his heart that she did indeed love him.

Aang tenderly cupped his gentle hand underneath her chin, slowly lifting her gaze back up to him as her eyes opened. He warmly smiled at her, letting all of his affection for her pass from his kind face to her glistening eyes. Katara saw the tenderness and fondness in her husband's eyes, and it was enough for her cheeks to flush pink once more.

"Katara," passionately said Aang, "you are as worthy of all the stars in the heavens as you are of all the love in my heart."

The stars around them brightened until they sparkled like perfect diamonds, a euphoric smile erupting across Katara's face as joyful tears filled her eyes. She immediately threw her arms around her husband's neck as his arms went around her waist, their lips melding together in the most heart-warming and perfect of kisses. The cosmos spiraled around them, centering its entire ethereal being around the two soul mates…

For in Aang's soul, they were the center of their own universe.


End file.
